Anemone sucked into filter

[lonbrat]

My new anemone tried to suicide apparently, got it about a week or two ago and it's been getting used to my tank. I did a 20% water change on my tank last night and it looked fine. But this morning I saw him again ( still looking fine) and an hour later I came back to find it sucked into my filter. I don't even know if it's still alive. The tentacles aren't reacting to touch, but the foot seems to be moving.

Any ideas on how to get it out of the filter? It's just the tentacles sucked into the bars on the filter intake thing.

 

[civics14]

turn off the filter and pull him out? Not 100% sure - pics would help

 

[LuciDog]

Never had this happen but I would turn off the filters and if I had to, dismantle it to get out. Then I would put him in a hospital tank. He's likely banged up.

 

[lonbrat]

He's not in a good position to be pulled out- I tried but he's pretty stuck. I put him in a bucket of tank water with the filter intake thing and left him to his own devices- he needs time out to think about what he did.

But no seriously, I think pulling it out would put the nail in the coffin. I'm pretty sure he's still alive, he's retracted a bit when I started messing with the filter, and made it even harder to pull out. I'm hoping it will just let go of the filter in the bucket?

 

[Dkuhlmann]

He is sucked up into a plastic cover? Break the cover and get him out.

 

[lonbrat]

He is sucked up into a plastic cover? Break the cover and get him out.

He wasn't fully sucked up, just a few tentacles- and the flesh connected to them.
But I just broke it and pulled those out, the flesh is pretty dead looking, torn up and so on. His foot seems okay though- that wasn't sucked up at all and it's still 100% intact, no cuts etc. But the... Disk? Lol the part connected to the tentacles that connect to the foot..? ( or is that still considered the foot)/// the fleshy part- has a few tears. Is that okay? I put it back in my main tank with carbon running in the filter, and a stocking over the filter piece, he's moving for sure, but is it okay he's torn right there?
( where it's torn it looks pretty dead, white and milky.. But the rest of his body looks depressed, but still alive)

 

[Sk8r]

He might recover, although it's doubtful. Immediately run carbon, and put on a filter sock if you don't have one on; or wait 5 hours and do a filter change/clean if you happen to be running a filter: a ticked-off nem exudes stuff, and some of his stinging cells are floating through the system. Wear gloves: no need to get yourself sensitized, which may never go away; and get a shield on that intake. They go right for them. Plastic needlepoint canvas can make a box that can be cut and shaped with scissors, stitched with fishing line.

If the nem starts to smell, get it out immediately. At that point it's dead, though still moving. They don't recover from that condition. The smell of a dead anemone is strong, and may stay with you for days.

 

[juniorrocketdad]

Anemone sucked into filter

Odds are it will be fine ive heard stories of a nem running into power heads and living just give it time and as stated if it bleaches or you see black stuff coming out of the mouth than you may need to worry a little bit more

 

[lonbrat]

He might recover, although it's doubtful. Immediately run carbon, and put on a filter sock if you don't have one on; or wait 5 hours and do a filter change/clean if you happen to be running a filter: a ticked-off nem exudes stuff, and some of his stinging cells are floating through the system. Wear gloves: no need to get yourself sensitized, which may never go away; and get a shield on that intake. They go right for them. Plastic needlepoint canvas can make a box that can be cut and shaped with scissors, stitched with fishing line.

If the nem starts to smell, get it out immediately. At that point it's dead, though still moving. They don't recover from that condition. The smell of a dead anemone is strong, and may stay with you for days.

It's a BTA btw, I have carbon and a filter sock in the filter right now and I'll definitely get something better than a stocking on the filter.

And what do you mean stink? He smells kinda fishy, but not rotten or anything. Fishy enough that I had to wash a bit to get the smell off. But my live rock has a similar fishy smell always...? Is that a bad thing?

Ps. He's opening a bit and his foot is stuck to another rock now, and the powerhead isn't blowing him away. So he's trying.
(( and he was semi bleached to begin with, not 100% white, but much lighter- ))

 

[juniorrocketdad]

As long as there is some color it will be fine

 

[davocean]

Usually just turning off pump allows them to free themselves.
BTA's are pretty hardy, and if it has attached already most likely it will recover.
Being a BTA you may even get a split due to stress.
Cover intakes and pumps

 

[Sk8r]

Fishy smell is normal. If you once smell a dead one it will haunt you for days. Ugh.
IF his foot is attaching, he has a chance.

 

[davocean]

Fishy smell is normal. If you once smell a dead one it will haunt you for days. Ugh.
IF his foot is attaching, he has a chance.

MANY days!
I still recall opening a bag shipped to me years ago like it was yesterday, impossible to not know something is very wrong when you smell it.